Things You Should Know About the Adult Education Program

• The adult education experience is different.

•  Many students work, have families.

• Most of the students are between 20 and 40 years of age; but a large number are over 40 years of age.

• Adults have a foundation of knowledge and can apply what they know to what they are learning, which makes learning easier.

• Every year of education adds almost $10,000 a year to income. Over a 40-year period, that can add up to over $400,000 in a lifetime.

• Students that complete the Adult Education Program have the skills needed to get their Georgia Work Ready Certificate, pass the college entrance test and get their GED diploma.

• A transition coach helps direct students through the admission and financial aid process to enroll in the college.

• 33% of the students can complete the Adult Education Program in less than 6 months.

• Students that enroll in the Bridges Home Study program have a 94% chance to pass the graduation/GED test the first time.

• There is no charge to enroll in the Adult Education Program.

Adult Education Issues

Community at Risk: The Cost of a Low skilled Workforce

Over 50% of the workforce will retire within the next 5-10 years. Our community is at risk, because younger adults are less educated than the previous generation and do not have the skills to fill jobs left by retirees. High school dropout rates (41.6%), low GED completion and low post-secondary enrollment and completion rates contribute to the workforce crisis. A skilled workforce is critical for businesses in our community - especially in healthcare, aviation technology, industrial systems and distribution. Why invest in adult education?

• Adults with a high school diploma or less live in families whose income is below 200 percent of the poverty line.

• Currently, 61% of adults with less than a 9th-grade education earn less than a living wage.

• Two of the most important factors that affect children's educational attainment are the education level of the mother and the income level of the family.

• Children's performance in reading, math, and general knowledge increases with the level of their mother's education.

• High school dropouts have higher rates of heart related diseases and diabetes (Teachers College, Columbia University, 2005).

• The U.S. death rate for persons with fewer than 12 years of education is 2.5 times higher than for those with 13 or more years of education (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2003).

• Some 75 percent of state prison inmates and 59 percent of federal inmates are high school dropouts.

Source: Investing in Adult Workforce Development is Essential for the Economic Success of Low Educated/Skilled Workers by Cheryl D. King

Crisis at the Core

"Our nation is in a college readiness crisis. Too few of our students are prepared to enter the workforce or postsecondary education without additional training or remediation when they graduate from high school. And far too many have to take remedial courses as part of their post-secondary education. As a consequence, first-year students are dropping out of school in alarming numbers: one in four freshmen at four-year institutions and one in two freshmen at two-year institutions fail to return for a sophomore year."

Source: Crisis at the Core, Preparing All Students for College and Work, ACT- American College Testing is a not-for-profit organization focused on educational and career planning and Workforce development.

The High Cost of High School Dropouts

Who Doesn't Graduate?

• Only about 56 percent of Hispanic students and 52 percent of black students will graduate on time with a regular diploma, compared to 77 percent of Asian students and 76 percent of white students (EPE, 2006).

• Among all races and ethnicities, females graduate at a higher rate than their male peers – 73 percent versus 65 percent (EPE, 2006).

• Graduation rates are significantly lower in districts with higher percentages of students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches (a measure of poverty) (Swanson, 2004).

• High school students living in low-income families drop out of school at six times the rate of their peers from high-income families (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2004).

• The lowest-achieving 25 percent of students are twenty times more likely to drop out of high school than students in the highest achievement quartile (Carnevale, 2001).

Source: The High Cost of High School Dropouts What the Nation Pays for Inadequate High Schools - Alliance for Excellent Education's website at www.all4ed.org.

It Is Never Too Late

It is never too late to go back to school and continue education. For adults who have by-passed their education in their early years, today's educational opportunities provide many benefits and advantages. For adults who do go back to school, over 80% graduate with a degree compared to less than 50% of those who attend college right after high school (U.S. Department of Labor).
Many adults will not go back to school because of myths surrounding continuing education, distance-learning concerns, and being unaware of the benefits of continuing education. Elimination of concerns and awareness of benefits are keys to success for adults continuing their education.

Source: Adult Education Benefits - It's Never Too Late Distance Learning Provides Continuing Education Possibility for All © David R. Wetzel Aug 17, 2008

Why is Higher Education So Important

Successful companies have learned how to adapt to changes in the marketplace. These changes require continuous improvement, new procedures, equipment upgrades and adding new technology. The employee MUST be able to digest information quickly and accurately. The Adult Education Program provides students a starting point to build these skills.

Today's labor market provides fewer entry-level; career-oriented jobs for young workers, typically those between ages 18 and 26. Employment prospects have become particularly bleak for youth with less than two years of post-secondary education, as their earnings have declined precipitously in recent years relative to the earnings of those who have college degrees. Hardest hit have been young men of color and from low-income communities. These trends in the youth labor market and the economy as a whole have placed increasing pressure on high schools to provide higher-quality opportunities that prepare their students for work as well as for higher education.

Source: Turning Skills into Profit: Economic Benefits of Workplace Education Programs by Michael R. Bloom and Brenda Lafleur